Greens push rail through the gorge
The Green Party wants to trial a twice-daily passenger train from Palmerston North to Napier to ease the pressure caused by the Manawatu Gorge road closure.
The proposed train, the ‘‘Ruahine Runner’’, would start in Palmerston North and stop in Woodville, Dannevirke, Waipukurau, Hastings and Napier.
Green Party candidate Thomas Nash announced the proposal during a visit to the gorge yesterday.
State Highway 3 through the Manawatu Gorge was closed by major slips in late April, blocking the main route between Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay. It was closed indefinitely from July 7 because the hillside was unstable. Since then, traffic has been diverted to the Saddle Rd and Pahiatua Track, both slower routes.
‘‘[The passenger train service] is going to provide a fast, stressfree way for people to travel,’’ Green MP Julie-anne Genter said.
It would be affordable for passengers and a low-cost way for the Government to connect surrounding communities, Genter said.
Nash said a long-term solution would include an alternative roading route and improving railway and coastal shipping for freight.
There had been chronic underfunding for regional transport in the past nine years, he said.
Greens co-leader James Shaw said the Government had let the rail service ‘‘rust away’’ and his party wanted to restore it as the backbone of the country’s transport system.
‘‘With the Manawatu Gorge out of action for a while, trains can take some of the stress off the Saddle Rd and around Ashhurst.
‘‘In time, we’d look at extending the new service all the way to Wellington, essentially restoring the Napier-wellington service. ‘‘There are perfectly good trains sitting idle that Auckland isn’t using and we’d put them to use connecting regional New Zealand.’’
Shaw also said the Greens wanted to subsidise the Capital Connection service between Palmerston North and Wellington in an effort to reduce fares.
The visit follows that of Transport Minister Simon Bridges, who on Wednesday spoke to residents in the towns nearest the gorge, Woodville and Ashhurst, to reiterate that the Government was exploring a long-term solution.
That would likely be in the form of a new, permanent alternative route, but in the meantime, a bypass around Ashhurst was being investigated.
Two intersections, Oxford Rd and Woodlands Rd, and Woodlands Rd and SH3, will also be realigned to guide traffic through Woodville.
The NZ Transport Agency previously announced it had invited three organisations to tender to investigate long-term options.
Tenders close in mid-august and a final recommendation is expected in December. A permanent fix is expected within three years.
Tararua mayor Tracey Collis said Woodville used to be a vibrant and popular destination. Now, there was significantly less foot traffic and car parks were empty as people bypassed the town.
Ashhurst is also having trouble with the influx of heavy traffic flowing through residential areas on the way to Saddle Rd.
Previously, Collis said an estimated 7500 vehicles would use the gorge to travel from Manawatu to Hawke’s Bay each day. In June, there were about 5500 vehicles a day on the Saddle Rd. Of those, about 3100 took Woodlands Rd – bypassing Woodville.